The Post’s PSAL baseball beat writer, Zach Braziller, breaks down tomorrow’s PSAL Class B baseball semifinals at Moe Finkelstein Field in Brooklyn
SCHEDULE
12 p.m. – No. 1 Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy vs. No. 4 Brooklyn Studio Secondary School
3 p.m. – No. 2 Gregorio Luperon vs. No. 19 Bronx Science
No. 1 Riverdale/Kingsbridge Tigers
Head coach: John Reingold
Record: 19-0, Bronx B North
Player to watch: P/1B Jason Araujo
No. 4 Brooklyn Studio Secondary School Knights
Head coach: Craig Cutaneo
Record: 19-0, Brooklyn B South
Player to watch: P/IF Chris Armenti
Outlook: Riverdale/Kingsbridge has been here before — twice, in fact, without advancing further. No added motivation will be needed. The Tigers have been waiting for this moment for a year, since they were upset by Taft at this point last season. A nice mix of veterans such as shortstop Steven Sunda and catcher Julio Santos in addition to youngsters like Araujo, Sunday’s starter, and center fielder Sage Cheren, RKA has exploded this postseason. The Bronx school has won its three playoffs contests by a combined margin of 29-3. That after its second straight Bronx B South crown.
Unlike RKA, Brooklyn Studio isn’t used to such success. The Knights were 4-12 the previous two seasons and 2-14 the year before that in ‘A.’ Their success is tinged with fortune. Cutaneo, in his eighth year, would’ve resisted a move down had he known he would inherit a freshman such as shortstop Tommy Nocera, whose older brother, Joe Gonzalez, was given an extra year of eligibility because of severe asthma attacks.
A junior, Armenti has emerged as one of the team’s leader, an ace pitcher (he picked up the win in a 5-1 victory over No. 5 Juan Morel Campus in the quarterfinals) and productive middle-of-the-order bat with 26 RBIs this spring. Brooklyn Studio hasn’t exactly coasted during the playoffs. It needed a five-run rally in the sixth inning of its second round, 10-8 victory over defending champion and No. 20 Health Professions to get here.
No. 2 Gregorio Luperon Tigers
Head coach: Rico Pena
Record: 18-1, Manhattan B North
Player to watch: 2B Elvis Roque
No. 19 Bronx Science Wolverines
Head coach: Rafael Lajara
Record: 13-6, Bronx B North.
Player to watch: P Ben Chu
Outlook: Gregorio Luperon achieved instant success under Pena, finishing at least second the first four years of the program, and making the quarterfinals three times. It wasn’t until last Thursday that the Tigers made it to the final four.
The current crop of players is similar in talent, but entirely different otherwise. They play fundamentally sound baseball. The days of Luperon swinging for the fences are gone. Instead, the Manhattan school moves runners over, bunts, and its pitchers throw strikes. Pena, the former Lehman JV coach, has up to 12 position players he mixes into the starting lineup, depending on who’s hot. Roque has been a fixture in the lineup at second base, along with catcher Eliseo Perez and shortstop Wagner Fernandez. Radelky Bonilla has emerged as the staff ace, having amassed a 5-1 record, and
Don’t let Bronx Science’s 19th seed or six league losses fool you; the Wolverines are no Cinderella story. They lost twice to top-seeded Riverdale/Kingsbridge by a combined three runs. Their secret to success is simple: big first innings.
Bronx Science scored six runs in the first inning of its second-round upset of No. 3 Taft and seven runs in the first against No. 6 Washington Irving in the quarterfinals. The Wolverines don’t rely on one individual player, although Chu is one of their top hitters and pitchers. Nick Reade, Michael Jorisch and Henry Rice are just as important offensively.
